What Is Sebum?

What is your skin’s BFF and its worst enemy at the same time? Its frenemy, you know?

Ok, I’ll tell you…

Sebum.

When skin makes just enough of it, a miracle happens: your skin is perfectly moisturized. It is soft to the touch. It’s plumper. It glows. It’s healthy. It looks awesome.

But when skin produces too little or too much? Then all kinds of problems begin. Flakiness. Infections. Breakouts. It’s hell. No wonder we all love to hate on sebum!

But I feel sorry for the poor guy. Ok, it often doesn’t do its job as well as it should, but without it, our skin would be a lot worse off. Here’s why:

What the heck is sebum?

We don’t call sebum sebum. We call it oil.

That’s just what it is: a mixture of oils and waxes. It’s made up of 41% triglycerides, 25% wax monoesters, 16% fatty acids, and 12% squalene, to be exact.

Sebaceous glands create sebum for you. You have them all over your body, except the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. That’s why they never get oily. Unlike the forehead, chin, and middle portion on the back, which often tend to get shiny and are more prone to breakouts. We have a TON of sebaceous glands there (roughly 2,600 to 5,800 per square inch!).

Hormones regulate the production of sebum. That’s why it’s mostly teenagers that get acne. Or why lots of women who are experiencing menopause suddenly find themselves dealing with acne for the first time.

Like many other things, such as collagen, sebum decreases with age. That’s why many older women suffer from dry skin.

Yep, sebum can be a pain at any age.

What Does Sebum Do For The Skin?

Sorry ladies, but sebum is essential for the skin. Without it, skin doesn’t function well.

So, what does sebum do?

Sebum is the skin’s natural moisturizer. It creates a waterproof barrier on the skin that keeps moisture in and pollutants, germs, and other nasty stuff out.

What happens when my skin doesn’t make enough sebum?

Without enough sebum, the skin’s protective barrier lacks its most important building blocks, so it breaks up all over the place.

Moisture evaporates, leaving skin feeling and looking as dry as the desert. It can get so bad, it can even start to flake. Bacteria, toxins, and a whole bunch of not-so-nice stuff can get inside the body, leaving skin red and irritated.

What Happens When My Skin Produces Too Much Sebum?

The excess oil your skin produces gets trapped in the pores where it mixes with dead skin cells and other gunk in there. Your pores get clogged. You get pimples. Blackheads. Whiteheads. It’s breakout galore.

Oh, some oil stays on the surface of your skin too. It makes it shine like a frying pan.